Vipers ready for SMJ or Brindles, declares coach

By
SIMON BRUNSDON

Sept. 3, 2014, 9:30 p.m.

Coach Heath Sangster believes his Vipers players will be ready for whoever they face in the grand final.

Netballer players Catherine Jones, Grace Mellows, Olivia Smith, Viv Marym, Bruce Rowles, Amy Sulcs, Alley Jones and Shae Marum with student Max Sakun and former student Hamish Robaard on the swing at Aspect School in Corrimal. Members of the Corrimal netball club held two cake stalls last weekend – at Fairy Meadow and Berkely – and raised $600 for the school.
Aspect provides services for children with autism and other disabilities.
Woonoona netball president Catherine Jones was thrilled to be able to hand over the cheque, and said the cake stall fund-raiser ‘‘went off’’. Wests Netball Club also offered its fund-raising day to add to the total. Picture: ADAM McLEAN

Sangster's Vipers team has earned a week off and first spot in the Illawarra Premier League grand final, and will now wait to see who comes out on top of the preliminary final clash between SMJ and Brindles on Saturday.

The temptation is there for Sangster to sit court-side and get one last look at both opposition teams before next week's decider.

But he believes he is well drilled enough on both clubs to be prepared for the big dance.

The Vipers have played Brindles twice and SMJ once over the past three weeks alone.

"We know how both teams play, so we should be pretty aware of that at this stage," Sangster said.

"If we're trying to work out how the other team plays at this stage that would be a concern, but that's not the case. So if either team makes it through we're pretty fresh in playing them recently."

Sangster plans to hold a training session on Saturday and will prepare next week as normal in the lead-up to the grand final.

The Vipers' run into the grand final hit a speed bump earlier this week when the scoresheet from Saturday's semi was completed incorrectly.

While many at the game believed Vipers had won, the scoresheet had Brindles winning 43-42.

The matter was taken to a league meeting on Wednesday night and resolved, as Vipers were declared the rightful victors.

Sangster admitted his heart was in his mouth during the semi-final.

"It was just the second quarter that let us down but the girls responded well. I made no changes and we were able to swing it around in the second half, play our game," he said.